Tá an chuma go roinnt daoine is cosúil nach bhfuil aon cheist acu iad féin a spreagadh. I gcónaí sa leabharlann greamaithe dá dtascanna, ag dul go dtí an seomra aclaíochta gach tráthnóna eile ainneoin laethanta gnóthacha, tiomnaithe do chaitheamh aimsire éigin amhail is dá mba reiligiún iad. Mar sin, cad é an rún a ghabhann leis an spreagadh? Conas is féidir linn é seo a chur i bhfeidhm inár modhanna staidéir. Is mothúchán é an spreagadh, tá sé neamhbhuan dá bharr sin ní féidir linn muinín a bheith againn ann. Iad siúd a n-éiríonn leo níl siad spreagtha mar a cheapann daoine ach tá siad comhsheasmhach. Tá spreagadh agus comhsheasmhacht ceangailte le chéile, téann siad lámh ar láimh. Míníonn sé seo cén fáth ag tús na bliana acadúla mothaíonn na mic léinn spreagtha ach tuairteála siad faoi theacht na scrúduithe Nollag.
Foghlaimímid go léir go difriúil, ní mór dúinn é seo a choinneáil i gcuimhne. Bainimid go léir taitneamh as modhanna staidéir éagsúla. A bheith comhsheasmhach agus spreagadh tá sé riachtanach chun modh staidéir a aimsiú go mbaineann tú taitneamh as.
Cúis 1: Tosú
Cé mhéad uair ar shuigh tú síos le staidéar a dhéanamh agus nuair a thugann tú faoi deara an méid eolais nach dtuigeann tú, dhúnann tú do ríomhaire le frustrachas nó caith do chuid nótaí trasna an tseomra? B’fhéidir go bhfuil tú níos lú drámatúil ná mé féin agus tú ag osna go simplí trí do shrón agus téigh ar do ghuthán. Ar scor ar bith, is é mo phointe ná is féidir leat a fhoghlaim cad atá uait in am (go háirithe má tá sé fós roimh an Nollaig). Tóg do chompord ar an bhfíric go beidh an fhaisnéis go léir idirnasctha beag beann ar do réimse staidéir. Nuair a thosaíonn tú éiríonn gach rud eile déanann tú staidéar ar soiléir go luath. A thosú i ndáiríre dean liosta topaicí, deighil na topaicí ina gcaibidlí nó codanna níos lú, bhailiú do acmhainní agus cruthaigh clár ama le haghaidh cad a bhfuil tú chun staidéar a dhéanamh ar agus cathain. An chéad chúpla lá b’fhéidir go mbraitheann tú neamhtháirgiúil ná bíodh scaoll ort, oibríonn comhsheasmhacht. Beidh sé éasca athbhreithniú a dhéanamh toisc go ndearna tú staidéar ar bheagán agus go minic beidh tú in ann athbhreithniú a dhéanamh ar choincheapa iomlána in aon seisiún staidéir amháin roimh scrúdú.
Cúis 2: Bainistíocht ama
Nuair a dhéanaim staidéar is maith liom é a dhéanamh i seisiúin fhada ar feadh dhá go trí huaire. An nóiméad a thógaim sos tá a fhios agam nach bhfillfidh mé ar mo chuid staidéir. Chun an fhírinne a rá, roinnt laethanta níl aon fhuinneamh agam staidéar ar bith a dhéanamh. Ámh, ní bhíonn strus orm riamh mar nuair a dhéanaim staidéar clúdaíonn mé i gcónaí cad é is tábhachtaí nó cad is gá a lán aird agus toscaire mé na rudaí éasca mar ag breathnú ar chláir faisnéise nó ag léamh tar éís m’uaireanta staidéir. Fáil amach cén uair is táirgiúla atá tú (an bhfuil sé nuair a dhúisíonn tú no b’fhéidir sula dtéann tú a chodladh?) agus tosú i gcónaí leis na tascanna is deacra. Ná creid go gcuirfidh plean staidéir insroichte cosc ort gach rud a chlúdach, geallaim duit neartaítear an spreagadh nuair a bhíonn sé mar aidhm agat fiche nóiméad staidéir a dhéanamh agus dhá uair an chloig ina dhiaidh sin tá tú fós á dhéanamh. Ná déan comparáid, tá sé neamhábhartha mura nglacann do chairde sosanna nó an mbaineann siad úsáid go dian as an teicníc pomodoro, mura n-oibríonn sin duit faigh amach rud éigin eile duit féin.
Cúis 3: Seachráin
Seachráin a aithint agus ansin a bhaint cinnfidh sé an caighdeán do sheisiún staidéir. Arís agus arís eile dúradh linn chun an fón a choinneáil i seomra eile agus chun staidéar i ngrúpaí a sheachaint ach rud atá ríthábhachtach is é sin stop a chur le seachráin phearsanta. A choimeád m’aird, déanaim staidéar i gcónaí le sneaiceanna agus deoch má théim go dtí an chistin nó chun mo bhuidéal a líonadh tá a fhios agam nach bhfillfidh mé ar mo spás staidéir leis an meon céanna. Chomh maith le sin úsáidim cluasáin i gcónaí. Má tá do ghnáthseinnliosta ag cur isteach ort tá go leor roghanna eile ann (ceol uirlise, podchraoltaí, fuaimeanna báistí, torann bán). Mar dhuine a dhéanann staidéar ar theangacha is breá liom a bheith ag éisteacht le hamhráin agus podchraoltaí sa teanga a bhfuil mé ag déanamh staidéar ar. Fáil amach má dhéanann tú staidéar níos fearr leat féin nó i ngrúpaí. Le féin-rialú is féidir le do ghuthán a bheith úsáideach nuair atá tú ag staidéar. Dhéanfainn fógraí a mhúchadh ag deireadh an lae, déan cibé rud a oibríonn duit.
Cúis 4: Dreasachtaí
Ní dhéanfainn aon rud sin an gealltanas de duais beag ag fánacht orm ar an taobh eile. Is féidir é a bheith rud ar bith, ó bheith ag breathnú ar an gcéad chlár eile ar Netflix, chun an sneaic is fearr leat a ithe nó fiú ag dul amach an oíche sin. Chun leas a bhaint as seo i ndáiríre caithfidh tú a bheith dian leat féin ní féidir an duais a bheith agat roimh an tasc a chríochnú ruaigfeadh sé an cuspóir iomlán. Tá an nádúr mealltach den dreasacht san iarracht is gá chun é a thuilleamh, an tuiscint ar ghnóthachtáil ardaíonn an sásamh. Dreasachtaí pearsantaithe a chur leis do ghnáthamh staidéir tabharfaidh mothúcháin spreagadh agus fiú sceitimíní nuair atá tú ag staidéar in áit strus agus faitíos. Cruthaigh na cialla dearfacha sin!
Cúis 5: Ídiú a aithint
Bíonn eagla ar go leor mac léinn roimh “burnout” no ídiú. Léirmhínítear é mar ghalar do-leigheasta de bharr staidéar a dhéanamh. Uaireanta dealraíonn sé mar nach bfhuil dhaltaí ag iarraidh iarracht níos mó a dhéanamh as an eaglacht go n-éiríonn siad traochta agus ní bheidh siad in ann leanúint ar aghaidh. Tá leigheas ann do “burnout” iolra mar ábhar na fírinne. An gcéad dul síos má tá an líne chéanna á léamh agat anois is arís nó má tá botún á dhéanamh agat i ndiaidh botún tuig go bhfuil tú traochta meabhrach, ní leisciúil. Uaireanta níl ag teastáil ach réiteach tapa; siúlóid ghairid lasmuigh ag éisteacht le ceoil, codladh beag, sos caife/tae. Uaireanta eile caithfidh tú scaradh go hiomlán ó d’ualach oibre. Má thógann sé lá nó dhó gan faic a dhéanamh nó am éasca a chaitheamh le cairde do do spreagadh agus do thiúchan a thabhairt ar ais, ansin ar aghaidh leat. Ná pionós a ghearradh ort féin as gá duit tú féin a leithlisiú ó do chuid staidéir ar feadh tamaill. Is daonna tú ní meaisín. Is é do ról sa saol taithí a fháil air gan a chaitheamh gach soicind ag anailísiú agus ag réiteach a rúndiamhra.
Níor cheart go mbeadh an staidéar ina ghníomhaíocht a bhfuil faitíos ort. Má tá moill á cur agat ar thascanna suas go dtí a spriocdhátaí, seisiúin staidéir a sheachaint, nó ag déanamh staidéir iomarcacha an oíche roimh scrúduithe ní mór duit na cumainn diúltacha i d’intinn a aithint chun iad a athrú. Nuair a thosaíonn tú a chomhlachú an gníomh de staidéar le luach saothair agus cuireann tú deireadh le mothúcháin brú agus struis ag ligean táirgiúlacht agus taitneamh a bhaint astu, bíonn pribhléid ag staidéar ní tasc gan deireadh nó pionós suarach.
Translation
Maintaining the motivation to study
Some students seem to have an undying sense of motivation; living in the library glued to assignments, hitting the gym every other evening despite how hectic their day was, devoted to a niche as if it were a religion. So, what’s the secret to motivation? And how could we apply it in our approach to studying?
Subconsciously we define motivation as a virtue or a personality trait, but the reality is that motivation is only a feeling. It comes and goes, and we can’t put all of our eggs into one shallow basket of motivation. The successful are often awarded the title of ‘motivated individuals’, however these individuals are simply consistent in what they do. The two concepts are greatly intertwined, and they drive one another; we cannot be motivated if we are not consistent. This would explain why that intense wave of motivation that washes over us at the beginning of every academic year seems to be the same wave that drowns us by the arrival of Christmas exams.
When it comes to studying it is vital to remember that we all learn in very different ways. The same learning methods or timing systems will not appeal to every mind therefore to stay consistent and motivated your focus needs to be on finding a study system that works for you and avoiding burnout.
Tip 1: Just start
How many times have you sat down to study and upon realising how much content you’ve missed or don’t understand, have slammed your laptop shut in defeat or have flung your notes across the room? Maybe you are less dramatic than myself and simply sigh heavily through your nose and go on your phone for the rest of the study session. This frustration is unnecessary, the majority of the time (especially if it is still before Christmas) you aren’t in a position where you can’t catch up.
No matter what your major is, take comfort in the fact that all of the content relates and once you start studying little by little everything else you cover afterwards will make sense, initiating a snowball effect in your acquisition of knowledge. Now to tackle the daunting task of “just starting”, I suggest making a list of all of the topics you need to learn, break them down into chapters or sections, gather your resources, and make a timetable of when you will study what parts. For the first few days you might feel unproductive, like you could or should be doing so much more but don’t fall into the trap of burnout- consistency always wins. By the end of the semester, revision will be a breeze, as you won’t be covering the content for the first time. You will have studied it piece by piece in detail and now can tackle reviewing entire chapters/concepts in one sitting.
Tip 2: Time management
When I study, it’s often in lengthy intervals, sometimes 2-3 hours straight. I know the minute I stop to take a break I won’t return to my studies for a while, if not the rest of the day. But let’s be real- some days I don’t have the energy to study at all. However, I’m never stressed because when I do study, I always cover assignments that need to be done or concepts that require a lot of focus, leaving the easier elements of studying like reading or watching documentaries for outside of my set study hours.
How can you apply this to yourself? Identify what time of the day your focus is at its peak (is it when you wake up, or maybe before you go to sleep?) and always begin with the tasks that are the most challenging. Don’t feed the narrative that creating an achievable daily study plan will prevent you from covering everything, I can guarantee you that motivation skyrockets when you sit down aiming for a very do-able 20 minutes and find yourself working away for 2 hours.
Don’t compare your study needs. It’s irrelevant if your mates don’t take breaks or strictly follow the pomodoro technique, if that doesn’t work for you find something that does.
Tip 3: Removing distractions
The identification and removal of distractions will determine the quality of your study session. One hour of genuine engagement is far more beneficial than three hours of rewriting notes that aren’t even your own. Time and time again, we have been instructed to keep our phones in a separate room and to avoid studying in groups, but what if that actually helps you focus? It is vital to be honest with what your personal triggers are to prevent whatever distractions that override your ability to focus.
To prevent myself from finding an excuse to leave the desk, I always study with a snack and drink. If I venture off to the kitchen or embark on a journey to refill a water bottle, I won’t return to my studies in the same focused mindset I began with.
Earphones can be helpful in drowning out distractions but if your usual playlist is a trigger there are many alternative options (instrumental music, podcasts, rain sounds, white noise etc). As a language student, I love listening to songs and podcasts in the language I’m working through.
Identify if it’s solitude or a social circle you need to stay focused, whether you study better by yourself or with a group of people to hold you accountable.
With self-control your phone can serve as a useful study tool. I suggest turning off notifications instead of leaving it in another room but again, it’s all about finding what works for you.
Tip 4: Incentives
I would get nothing done without the promise of a little treat waiting for me at the finish line. An incentive can be anything from watching that next episode on Netflix to having your favourite snack, or even going out for a wild night in the city. However, to actually benefit from this tip you must be strict. You cannot cave and treat yourself before completing the task, or it would defeat the entire purpose.
Don’t be a slave to instant gratification. The seductive nature of the incentive lies in the sheer effort required to obtain it; the sense of achievement heightens the pleasure. The incorporation of personalised incentives into your study routine will induce feelings of motivation and even excitement when sitting down to study, as opposed to those all too familiar sentiments of stress and dread. Create those positive connotations.
Tip 5: Recognise burnout
Burnout is a major fear for many students, often regarded as an incurable disease caused by studying. Sometimes it is almost as if we are afraid to push ourselves when studying in the anticipation of burning out and being unable to continue. There is a cure for burnout- multiple, as a matter of fact. First and foremost, if you find yourself reading the same line again and again or making typo after typo, accept that you are mentally exhausted and step away. You are not being lazy, if you literally cannot focus on burnout. Sometimes all that’s needed is a quick fix: a brisk walk outside with some music, a quick nap or a tea/coffee break.
Other times you need to completely detach from your workload. If it takes a day or two of doing nothing or hanging out with friends to recentre and build back up your motivation and concentration reservoirs, then permit yourself. Trust yourself to isolate studying from your daily routine from time to time. You are an individual, not a computer. Your role in life is to experience it, not to spend every second analysing and solving its mysteries.
Studying shouldn’t be an activity you dread. If you find yourself procrastinating assignments right up to their deadlines, skipping study sessions or cramming the nights before exams, you must identify the negative connotations living in your subconscious to alter them. When you begin associating the act of studying with incentives you’ve granted yourself and remove feelings of pressure and stress allowing productivity and enlightenment to fill the vacuum, studying becomes a privilege that is accessible daily, not a never-ending chore or a self-inflicted punishment.
